Mistaken Identity
by Malfunctioning Android
Summary: Taken from the prompt from the Irish school system's English paper. 2016 Prompt 2: "Write a short story in which mistaken identity is a central to the plot."


Bridgette Cheng is the first cousin of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The girls have been close since the day they were introduced to one another. The two had similar characteristics, with raven hair that held a sapphire sheen when the light hit it and bluebell colored eyes. Their styles were also similar, both have a fondness for blazers, Marinette wearing a lighter gray one in comparison to her cousin under which they wear white shirts. Then they separate in taste as Bridgette prefers the skirts that have shorts sewn into them, like what dancers wear, while Marinette prefers three quarter length pants. Their mannerisms are polar opposites in comparison, however. Marinette is a quiet girl who is slightly clumsy with a slight stutter that cropped up whenever she was nervous, meanwhile, Bridgette is calmer than her cousin but is prone to getting into arguments, that can escalate to physical violence in defence of her cousin, primarily with Chloé Bourgeois, a girl in their class and the Mayor's daughter. Bridgette fights with Chloé because Chloé picks on Marinette.

* * *

Adrien and Félix Agreste are fraternal twins. They share their blond hair, green eyes and tall, slim stature. Their personalities are different in that Adrien is cheerful and outgoing while Félix is quiet and reserved. Per their father, Gabriel's, request, they both studied Mandarin Chinese and Félix practices fencing while Adrien did gymnastics. The pair also know Chloé through a connection via their fathers. She was their only friend as the twins were home schooled until the start of that school year.

* * *

"Fe-fe." Félix heard that morning and he scrunched his nose in disdain at the nickname before turning over in his bed. "Fe-fe!" Félix jumped and fell out of bed, and onto Plagg, their cat, who then began attacking his leg. Félix looked up to see his mirror image looking down at him before he pushed off the attacking black cat.  
"Why are we getting up at…" Félix glanced at his watch, "seven o' in the morning?"  
"Because we're going to school!" Adrien exclaimed. Félix pounced on his brother to silence him before someone heard him.

* * *

Marinette and Bridgette were rushing into school as the former had forgotten to put on a load of washing before the start of school and thus had no clean clothes to wear. She begged her cousin to loan her clothes to wear for the day, bribing her with pastries as a reward, however both teens were currently running late. Neither of them were watching where they were going and didn't see who was in their path. They didn't see Chloé sticking her foot out, in an attempt to trip one of the duo. It worked and Marinette's bulging bag ripped at the seams, letting her books and notebooks scatter.  
Chloé looked down on the raven-haired girl and smiled her crooked smile. "Well, well. Clumsy-nette strikes and the year hasn't even started yet."  
Chloé and her crony - sorry _best friend_ \- Sabrina Raincomprix was standing to their left, by the lockers.  
"Shut up, Chloé." Bridgette growled at the blonde as she helped her cousin gather up her stuff.  
"Down, doggy." Chloé barked back but her sneer turned into a smug grin. "I'm sure even you will impressed by what my Daddy did to improve the reputation of this school." She said before walking towards a particular classroom. Marinette groaned as she finished gathering her things.  
"Groan later, class now." Bridgette reminded her cousin, pulling her up so they could both get to class before the last bell rang and earned them a reprimanding on their first day. That was for the second day onwards. Marinette groaned again.

* * *

Félix and Adrien were running down the footpath. They were going to be late, and on their first day of public school too. Félix skidded around the corner and almost fell over if Adrien hadn't grabbed his arm and righted him.  
They continued running and their finish line was in sight - the front steps of the school. Nathalie Sancoeur, their father's assistant, and their bodyguard, nicknamed the Gorilla for his huge stature, were nowhere in sight. They could almost _feel_ the friendships they were going to, hopefully, make.  
As they ran up the steps, a black car with blacked out windows rolled up to the kerb. Both boys ignored it.

* * *

In the classroom, Madame Bustier was attempting to bring order to her class of twenty students, glad to see one another after the summer. Chloé was bragging about the trips she went on with her father while Sabrina listened attentively. Alix and Kim were daring each other to do various challenges while Max took note of the challenge and wagers from the pair and their classmates.  
Marinette and Bridgette came in the door the minute before the bell rang, earning groans as the school year started.  
Madame Bustier started assigning seats. Nino Lahiffe was moved from the back of the class to the very font and Marinette was put into the seat behind him, where Chloé was sitting and not moving from.  
"I'm not going anywhere, Mari-trash." She growled. "My sweetie and his annoying brother are coming here this year and i'm not moving because he's sitting there. Go sit with the new weirdo." She waved her hand dismissively at the other side of the front row where a new girl sat. She had brown hair that faded to orange in an ombré style, hazel eyes behind cat eye style glasses and a freckle over her right eye. She was wearing a style of clothes that would never go out of style; plaid shirt over a plain white shirt with blue jeans and white sneakers. Marinette pulled her seething cousin with her.  
"Not so fast, girls. Bridgette, this year you're sitting with Ivan."  
The massive teen smiled and waved at the petite one. She smiled back and walked up to the gentle giant.  
Marinette sat by the new girl and smiled at her. "Is that a Wonder Woman backpack?" The bluenette asked.  
"Oh yeah!" The new girl exclaimed. "She's so bad-ass . I know she didn't have that big of a role in the Batman vs Superman movie but she managed to pick-pocket Bruce Wayne, aka the freakin' Batman, without him noticing anything!"  
Marinette smiled as she went on about her idol. Neither one noticed the latecomers.  
"Oh, that's so dumb." The new girl said in the middle of her chatter. "I'm Alya Césaire." the girl said introducing herself.  
"I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng." The bluenette said to introduce herself to the ombre haired girl.  
"I'm Adrien Agreste." A new voice whispered from behind them.  
Both girls turned to see the previously empty seat behind them had been filled by by a blond boy.  
"That's my brother, Félix, in front of Chloé." Adrien added.  
They all turned to see a mirror image of the blond sitting behind them glaring at hem from across the room. He was also trying to avoid Chloé's grabby hands.  
The girls turned back to a grinning Adrien.  
"Are there any ways we can tell you apart?" Marinette asked him.  
"He's the grumpy one." Adrien replied with a smirk.

* * *

Home room continued in much the same manor. Students conversed quietly with one another as schedules were handed out. Félix continued to evade the blonde behind him.  
Soon the bell rang, signalling the class was over and it was time to go to the next one.  
"Mademoiselle Cheng, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, Misters Agreste, would you all stay behind for a moment?" Madame Bustier asked as everyone w packing up. "And you too, Mademoiselle Cesáire."  
Marinette looked at the girl beside her, the blonds and her cousin before shrugging her shoulders.  
The quintet stood in front of the teacher's desk as the rest of the class milled out.  
"I know this is slightly unusual but Bridgette, Marinette, could you two be student guides for the other three? Usually it's one-on-one but he only other volunteer is Chloé and I've already had to write two reports for her after the first class of the year." The teacher asked the girls.  
"I don't mind Madame Bustier." Marinette stated.  
"Neither do I." Bridgette agreed. "But in the end, it's up to them."  
"Not Chloé." Félix growled.  
"We _did_ come here to make new friends." Adrien agreed.  
"I saw what she did, I'm sticking with the nice people." Alya said, throwing her arms around the blunettes.  
"That settles that." The teacher said, in relief. "Please head to your next class."  
"Thanks for that." Félix said when they were in the hallway.  
"Don't thank us yet, Grumpy Cat." Bridgette replied as they walked down the hall to their class.

* * *

Adrien groaned at lunch when they sat down at a table, trays in front of him while Félix had a scowl, seemingly permanently, etched on his face aimed at the universe.  
"What's up with Grumpy Cat?" Alya asked as she put her own tray on the table, sitting beside Adrien.  
Félix levelled his glare at the bespectacled teen.  
"I found it." Alya squeaked.  
The trio heard giggling from behind them and they turned to see the cousins and they looked different from that morning.  
Both had their hair down and and damp and they were still wearing their gym clothes from the last class.  
" _Somehow_ we both misplaced our locker keys." Marinette sighed. "Gym teacher wrote us a note for later and the lunch ladies said we could pay later when we get our money from our lockers."  
"Who took Grumpy Cat's milk?" Bridgette asked the group.  
Félix glared at the pair when he realised he couldn't tell them apart currently. Marinette shuffled behind her cousin but grinned at the look.  
"Can 'Ette and I sit with you all?" Marinette asked, sharing a look with her cousin.  
"Hey 'Ette, you're doing sewing again this year, right?" Bridgette asked. Marinette nodded. "What are the rest of you doing as electives?" Bridgette directed at the rest of the group.  
They spent the rest of their lunch discussing their various classes.

* * *

The rest of the day continued in a similar fashion, even after they picked up their keys from lost and found and paid the lunch ladies and changed back. The two girls kept their hair down and Marinette didn't fidget with the skirt as often as she normally would. This annoyed Chloé as well as she didn't know which one was her usual target. She accidentally got Bridgette and a punch in retaliation (the teacher present played blind during this incident and Chloé could do nothing without getting in trouble too).  
Throughout the rest of the day, the teachers that weren't as ready for the year as others just pointed at whichever one of the two duos they wanted and put them in their seats. The art teacher studied the four teens in an attempt to differentiate the pairs apart but could only conclude that the Agrestes' had symmetrical faces.

* * *

"Hey Grumpy Cat, Sunshine." Marinette greeted as they met up and walked in the biology classroom.  
"Go to hell, Bridgette." Félix had taken to saying - read growling - when either girl called him Grumpy Cat, before he sat into his seat in the front row.  
"Hi Marinette." Adrien greeted as she sat in her assigned seat behind the grumpy blond.  
"Hi Adrien." Marinette greeted properly as he slid into his seat on the other side of the walkway.  
Félix glanced between the two as Bridgette walked past to sit with Ivan. Marinette hadn't done anything differently but Adrien could still tell her apart from Bridgette.  
"How?" He asked, incredulously. "How can you tell them apart?"  
"I'll tell you." Adrien said. "If, and only if, you swap seats with me."  
Félix heard a trio of giggles from behind him, as Alya had sit next to Marinette.  
"And you did absolutely nothing to hint to him? He asked the nearer of the cousins.  
"Not a thing." Marinette assured. Alya grinned beside her.  
Félix thought over his brother's proposition before standing up, along with Adrien. They swapped seats and Félix turned to his brother expectantly. As Adrien was about to tell his brother what he knew, the teacher is netted the classroom.  
"Hello again, class." Madame Bustier greeted her class. "How is everyone's day going? She asked waiting for the bell to ring.  
There was a general murmur from the present pupils as Chloé and Sabrina entered the room.  
Chloé growled when she saw Marinette in the seat she was in earlier, especially as she saw it was actually Adrien sitting in the row in front. "Excuse me." She growled at the blunette. "But you're in my seat."  
"Actually, Chloé, if you check the seating plan Madame Bustier made, you'll see that this is my seat and yours is in the front row across the way." Marinette.  
The rest of their classmates herald their breath as they waited to see how the blonde would react.  
Chloé, herself, glared at the blue haired girl smiling back at her. "My daddy will hear all about this." She _threatened_ as she walked over to the bench Marinette was sitting in earlier with Sabrina following her.  
A person slid into the bench beside Adrien. "Hey Félix." He greeted. "Having a good first day of school? Hey Mari."  
"Hey Nino." Marinette greeted the teen beside Adrien. He was wearing jeans a blue shirt with a eye-like design on it and a red baseball cap on his head. This was accessorised with his usual thick frames and headphones. "This is Alya Césaire." Marinette introduced the girl sitting next to her.  
"And I'm not Félix." Adrien said. "I'm his nicer brother, Adrien."  
"Nino Lahiffe." He introduced himself, offering his fist for the other to fistbump. Adrien did so haltingly unsure. "Sorry for the mix up." Nino apologised.  
"No problem." Adrien said. "It happens more frequently than you'd think."


End file.
